NO LONGER:

TITLE: No Longer

PAIRING: L/L, J/P, R?

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, just this story and the made up stuff about this show…such as Tristan Dugrey this late in the show or them getting married.

SUMMARY: Tristan divorces Rory, but fate disagrees.

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Two Daughters':

'Hello?' TC answered the phone. Dana was watching his facial expressions.

'TC, it's Leigh. Is Dana there?'

'Yea, uh Dana's here why?'

'Oh she's just been gone awhile.'

'Okay…are you okay?' he forgot who exactly he was talking too.

'Yea, her sister got really sick and I'm on my way to pick her up from the camp. Dana can stay with you, right?'

'Yea of course.'

'Okay, good. I should back tonight sometime late.'

'Uh sure, no problem, Drive safe Rory.' He said hanging up the phone. Rory looked confused. She guessed Dana had told him her real name. Tristan turned from the phone to Dana.

'She doesn't know who I am, does she?' Dana shook her head.

'Is everything okay?'

'Yea, Tori is sick so your mom is on her way to pick her up.'

'Ah okay.'

'Do you uh, do you remember me at all?' Tristan asked.

'No, but you do look like the guy that I talked to at my grandmother's funeral—well it would've been your mom.'

'The little girl drawing on the couch…' he said shaking his head.

'That was me.'

'I'm sorry.'

'For what?' Dana asked.

'Well everything, but at the moment, my genes?' Dana laughed.

'Why?'

'Because if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have diabetes.'

'And if it weren't for you, I wouldn't exist.'

'Touché.' Tristan said smiling. Dana laughed.

'Maybe that's why.' Dana said.

'Why what?'

'Why after a month I considered you my sit-in dad. Maybe it happened so quickly because you are my dad.'

'It's possible I guess.' He said shrugging.

'So where were you before?' Dana asked.

'I uhh—I ran into an old friend.'

'You saw my mom?'

'Yea.'

'And…?'

'We understand what actually happened 15 years ago.'

'That's good right?'

'Yea.' Tristan said quietly. Dana looked at him confused.

'Why did you leave mom?' Dana asked suddenly.

'I didn't. My parents and your mom's grandparents set us for the whole thing to happen.'

'Why?' Dana asked surprised.

'My family didn't like your mom and vice versa. If it weren't for you grandma, Lorelai, I probably would never have married your mom.'

'So you didn't leave my mom on purpose?'

'Never.' He said shaking his head.

'So what happened when you saw my mom?'

'She told me about my daughter—or your sister, we discussed the hospital days when you were born and we awkwardly talked.'

'Oh.' Dana said quietly.

'So uh she told me you had a goal to meet me one day.'

'I do or did.' She said nodded quietly.

'Wow.' Tristan breathed.

'What?'

'I really should've pushed to see you sooner.'

'You were afraid.'

'You well being afraid never got anyone anywhere in life but dead so…' Dana smiled.

'I'm actually really glad that you're my dad.'

'Yea well I'm overly fortunate to have you as my daughter.' She bit her lip and moved to his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

'Don't go anywhere, okay?' she mumbled into his chest.

'Oh I'm not going anywhere! You'd have to hack me into pieces and I'd still never leave you.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - C—A—M—P - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Ms. Gilmore, Victoria is in the room at the very end.' The camp nurse said pointing. Rory nodded and came upon the room and saw Tori lying in the bed. She looked very frail and weak.

'Hey sweetie.' Rory said. Tory looked up and smiled weakly.

'Hi.' Tory said but it came out as a whisper. Rory sighed and sat at the end of the bed.

'The nurse's told me you were sick, they didn't tell me you had a wish to be only skin and bones.' Rory joked lightly but it only made Tori shrug.

'You wanna tell me what happened?' Tori didn't speak, she just stared straight ahead.

'They told me you refused to eat and anything they gave you came right back up within minutes. Tori, what's gotten into you?' They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

'Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to see how Tori was doing.' A young girl, one of Tori's friends said coming fully into the room. No one spoke. Tori just looked down and Rory looked at the girl for help. The girl made a gesture to go outside with her, and Rory followed her out.

'You Tori's mom, right?'

'Yea, why?'

'The day before Tori was brought here, I found this in her sheets.' The girl said handing Rory a letter. Rory read it and immediately her face went white.

'I don't know who she was to Tori but Tori isn't taking it very well.' The girl said apologetically.

'She was Tori's best friend. They've been inseparable since they were seven. They only time Tori goes without talking to her for a week is when she's overnight camp but they still exchange letter's.' Rory said monotone. The girl nodded and looked down.

'I need to get back I just heard you came to pick her up and I thought you should read that.'

'Thank you.' Rory said. The girl nodded and left. Rory closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. She took a deep breath and went back into her daughter's room.

'She found the letter didn't she?' Tori asked quietly.

'Yea.' Rory nodded and kneeled next to the bed.

'I just, why?' Tori asked starting to cry again.

'Oh Tori, these things happen.'

'Oh you know people who've killed themselves?'

'No, but Tori everything will be fine.'

'You don't know that!' Tori screamed wiping at her tears furiously.

'Tori, you're right, I don't but no matter what happens she'll always be there.'

'She's dead mom! She's never coming back!' she cried out. Rory really felt for Tori. She had never experienced something like this and Tori were much to young to have to.

'It's not fair! She was my best friend! How could she do it!' Tori asked covering her eyes.

'You're right Tori. It's not fair and no matter what anyone says, it's not going to make it any easier.'

'I wish I could see her just one last time…maybe she wouldn't have done it then…without her, there's no me.'

'Yes there—' Rory's cell phone rang. Rory ignored it but Tori told her to answer it.

'Hello?'

'Hey mom, is everything alright?'

'Yea uh—'

'Mom is that Dana?' Tori asked.

'Yea.'

'Can I talk to her?' Rory handed Tori her phone.

'DC?' Tori asked.

'Hey how are you feeling?' Dana asked.

'Remember Beth?' she asked.

'Yea of course!'

'Well she's dead.' There was a silence.

'Dana?'

'I'm here.'

'Well…?'

'Well what? That's horrible, I'm so sorry Tori, know how much you loved her.' Dana said sadly.

'She killed herself—hung herself from her apartment balcony.' Tori cried.

'Oh my god. Tori I'm so sorry.'

'Yea me too.'

'She loves you.'

'You can't love when you're dead.' Tori said quietly. Dana was silent.

'Are you coming home now?' Dana asked breaking her silence.

'Yea, I just need to get my bags,'

'Okay, I'll see you later.'

'Yea.' Tori said hanging up the phone and handing it back to Rory.

'Well?' Rory asked.

'Can we go home now?' Tori asked. Rory nodded and helped Tori out of the bed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - D—U—G—R—E—Y'—S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'They're leaving now.' Dana said quietly once she was off the phone.

'What's wrong?'

'Her friend died and Tori emotionally made herself physically sick.'

'Oh wow.'

'Yea, her name was Beth. She was going to turn twelve I think in a few weeks.' Tristan nodded. They were silent for a while.

'Are you hungry? He asked suddenly.

'Yea, I am.' She nodded and went with Tristan to the kitchen.

-FOUR HOURS LATER-

'I win!' Dana laughed doing a victory dance. She head beaten him at the game "Life".

'Don't gloat.' Tristan said groaning.

'You are such a sore loser!' Dana laughed. Tristan smiled. There was a knock at the door. Dana ran to get it as Tristan got up with the cleaned up game.

'Hey.' Tori said.

'Oh my god!' Dana said hugging her sister tightly. They walked arms around each other inside. Dana sat Tori on the couch. Tristan watched from the doorway. He had come back from putting the game away. He saw Rory enter his house and watched as her mouth fell open at the sight of him. He motioned her towards him and shut the door to his office. He turned around and looked at her confused face. He took a deep breath.

'Yes, I am TC, no I just found out this afternoon.' He said.

'You've been taking care of your daughter without realizing it?'

'Yup.'

'That's why she acted so strange when she found out what you looked life.' Tristan shrugged.

'I haven't seen you so much in such a long time.' Tristan said.

'I know. Think I owe you an apology. I never took the time to get our full story.'

'If you had, what would've happened?'

'I don't know. You might have custody of our minds, they might' know you better—'

'Would we be married?' he asked quietly.

'I don't know—would you have wanted to?'

'Do you really need to ask me that question? Rory smiled.

'So on a scale one to ten, how surprised were you to find that I'm TC?'

'Surprisingly, not very surprised.' She admitted.

'I remember the first time I met Dana.'

'You do?'

'Yea, I also remember her telling me that you weren't over me either.'

'Tristan…'

'No, Rory, I need to have those kinds in my life.' He told her.

'I can't be with you.' She said.

'Tell me why.'

'It would be strange,' she said. He gave her a look then without any notice kissed her sweetly on the lips.

'Was that strange?' he asked.

'I—uh…' she said touching her lips. He looked at her expectantly.

'Think about it, now can I meet my other daughter?'

'Yea, but be easy on her, her friend just died.'

'I know, Dana told me.'

'Yea, but this is different.'

'How?' She committed suicide.'

'Oh wow.' He breathed.

'Yea.'

'Is she okay?'

'Not at all.'

'I'll talk to her.'

'What?'

'My best friend died when I was fourteen…he drowned himself.

'I didn't know that!'

'He didn't go to Chilton.' She nodded and lead them out to the family room. Apple was sitting n front of the two girls protectively. Tori and Dana looked up. That was the first time Tristan and Tori had seen each other. Tori gasped, but Tristan just kept blinking.

'Uhh Tori, this is Tristan Dugrey.' Rory said pushing Tristan until he was walking on his own. He kneeled in front of her.

'Firstly I believe you are Victoria.' She nodded still in shock.

'Secondly, I think you are the daughter I never knew about and thirdly, if you'll let, I would be happy to talk to you about what happened with your best friend.'

'Is is bad to not know what to say?' Tori asked finally speaking.

'About meeting me?'

'Yea that, but morely about my friend.'

'You shouldn't force yourself.' She nodded.

'Mom is it okay to hug him?' Tristan smiled at his youngest daughter. Rory smiled too and nodded.

'Come here.' he said hugging her. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. Finally they separated.

'I'm not ready to talk about Beth.' She said quietly.

'When you are, just let me know. My best friend died when I was fourteen too, so I can relate to what you're going through.' She nodded. Rory came over and sat next to Dana. She pulled her onto her lap. The picture felt so normal. Not one of the four thought the feeling of them all together was odd. I felt just like a real family and they all stayed quietly soaking in the moment.

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No this is not the end…unless you want it to be, but I don't…Okay so I felt I should give you this chapter and the last part almost together because of my long absence! Don't worry I would never just ABANDON my story even though it seems like I have with my other ones….anyway REVIEW PLEASE! More soon.